


A Talk

by LittleMissWolfie



Series: Salman, Illinois [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Human AU, M/M, mental health, mentions of depression, possibly inaccurate, small town AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 12:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14496630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissWolfie/pseuds/LittleMissWolfie
Summary: A conversation between Keith and his dad.





	A Talk

**Author's Note:**

> I only have one final so HERE WE GO
> 
> This takes place the evening after Pidgeot is typing... ends. Please let me know if anything I've written in reference to depression is inaccurate or harmful in any way and I will do my best to address and correct it.

“So you wanna tell me what you’re moping about?”

Keith almost falls off the couch in surprise. He didn’t hear his dad come in. He catches himself just in time, though the backs of his shins crash painfully into the threadbare front of the couch in a desperate attempt to not fall on his ass. “Uh, hey, Dad,” he says.

His dad sighs, shakes his head, and sits down on the space Keith’s torso was just taking up. “Remember what we talked about, Keith? I can’t help you with your emotions if you don’t talk to me about them.”

Keith nods. Takes a breath to calm himself down. Clenches his fists on his knees. “I feel like I’m in a rut I don’t know how to get out of.”

His dad makes a rumbling sound of affirmation. “Start by telling me why you think you’re in a rut.”

“I dunno, maybe because all my friends are destined to be way more successful than me?” One hand unclenches and he starts ticking off names. “Matt and Shiro are gonna be astronauts, Lance got accepted to flight school, we all know Hunk’s gonna open a restaurant or some shit like that, Pidge is a tech wizard, and Allura’s a  _ fucking princess. _ And here I am, working full time at a crappy gas station with no real prospects for my future.”

A weight falls on his shoulders and he almost flinches. He’s still not used to the… touching, from his dad. It’s not like he was ever neglectful or abusive or anything, but Keith’s depression had only been diagnosed a few months ago and his dad was just starting to realize how touch starved he was. “What brought this feeling up, Keith?”

Keith unlocks his phone, still on the just calmed group chat, and passes it to his dad. They fall silent as he reads. Then, his dad says, “This ‘Prince Lotion’ is Allura’s cousin, right? And he likes Matt’s little sister?” Keith nods. “Well, other than that, I don’t see much new here. This is how your friends always talk.”

“Did you miss the part where Matt said he wants to marry me?” Keith asks.

His dad laughs. “That’s not exactly a secret, son. That boy’s wanted to marry you for years.” 

“Not sure why,” Keith mutters.

A pause. A sharp intake of breath. Then, “Keith, you are so,  _ so _ worthy of being loved, exactly as you are. You are a wonderful young man who deserves the world and more.”

Keith exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding and relaxes into his dad’s side. “I’m just stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. You were just bad at school. There’s a huge difference. I was good at school and I’m not nearly as smart as you. I bet if you got to pick just a few classes you knew you would be interested in, you’d be at the top of the class.”

Keith chuckles. “Is this your way of saying I should take classes at the college?”

“Just a little,” his dad admits. “Maybe even just online. We live close enough to the McClains to use their wifi, and I can splurge a little on a laptop as an early birthday present.”

“I don’t want to ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m  _ offering.” _ Keith says nothing, so his dad continues. “Whatever that voice inside your head is telling you, ignore it. You’re not perfect, sure, but no one is. Your friends aren’t, and I know you don’t think about them the same way you think about yourself.” He presses a finger to Keith’s forehead. “Use your logic. They love you. You know they do. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

Keith blinks away the hot wetness in his eyes. “Thank you, Dad.” Then, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”  His dad presses his phone back into his hand. “Now, I have to make dinner, and I think you have a boyfriend to call.” He cracks a grin and adds, “I think a spring wedding would be nice, don’t you?”

He leaps out of the way of the pillow Keith throws at him, laughing, and Keith takes his phone into his bedroom.


End file.
